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ROSS AND CROMARTY

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Originally appearing in Volume V23, Page 743 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ROSS AND See also:CROMARTY , a See also:northern See also:county of See also:Scotland. The mainland portion is bounded N. by See also:Sutherland and See also:Dornoch See also:Firth, E. by the See also:North See also:Sea and See also:Moray Firth, S. by See also:Beauly Firth and See also:Inverness-See also:shire and W. by the strait of the Minch. The See also:island portion, consisting of as much of the island of See also:Lewis as lies north of a See also:line See also:drawn from See also:Loch Resort to Loch See also:Seaforth, is bounded on the W., N. and E. by the See also:Atlantic, and S. by See also:Harris, the See also:southern See also:part of Lewis. Many islands, all but eleven uninhabited, are scattered principally off the See also:west coasts of Lewis and the mainland. The See also:area of the See also:main-See also:land is 1,572,294 acres and of the islands 404,413 acres, giving a See also:total for the county of 1,976,707 acres or 3o88.6 sq. m. The inhabited islands belonging to the mainland are all situated off the west See also:coast. They are Gillean (lighthouse) in the See also:parish of Lochalsh, Croulin in Applecross, Horisdale, Dry and See also:Ewe in See also:Gairloch parish, and See also:Martin and Tanera More, of the See also:group of the Summer Isles in the parish of Lochbroom. On the North Sea front the See also:chief indentations are Beauly Firth and Inner Moray Firth, marking off the See also:Black Isle from Inverness-shire; Cromarty Firth, bounding the districts of See also:Easter Ross and the Black Isle; Moray Firth, separating Easter Ross from See also:Nairn-shire; and Dornoch Firth, dividing north-See also:east Ross from See also:Sutherlandshire. On the Atlantic See also:face—which is a coastline of more than 300 m.—the See also:principal sea lochs and bays, from S. to N., are Loch Duich, Loch Alsh, Loch Carron, Loch Kishorn, Loch Torridon, Loch Shieldaig, Upper Loch Torridon, Gairloch, Loch Ewe, Gruinard See also:Bay, Little Loch See also:Broom and Enard Bay. The chief capes are Tarbat Ness on the east coast, and Coygach, Greenstone, Reidh, Red and Hamha Points on the west. Almost all the southern boundary with Inverness-shire is guarded by a rampart of peaks, among them being An Riabhachan (3696), Sgurr na Lapaich (3773), See also:Cam Eige (3877), Mam Soul (3862), See also:Ben Attow (3383), Scour Ouran (3505), famous for its view from the See also:summit, Ben See also:Mohr (3570) and the See also:Saddle (3317). To the north of Glen Torridon occur the masses of the Liatach, with peaks of 3456 and 3358 ft., and Ben Eay with four peaks above 3000 ft. each.

On the north-eastern See also:

shore of Loch See also:Maree rises Ben Slioch (3217), while the Fannich group contains at least six peaks of more than 3000 ft. The immense isolated bulk of Ben Wyvis (3429), and its sub-See also:ordinate peaks An Socach (3295) and An Cabar (3106), is the most noteworthy feature in the north-east, and the Challich Hills in the north-west with peaks of 3483 and 3474 ft. are equally conspicuous, though less solitary. Only a small fraction of western and southern Ross is under See also:I000 ft. in height. Easter Ross and the See also:peninsula of the Black Isle are comparatively level. The longest stream is the Orrin, which rises in An Sithean and pursues a course mainly E. by N. to its confluence with the See also:Conon after a run of about 26 m., during a small part of which it forms the boundary with Inverness-shire. At Aultgowrie the stream rushes through a narrow See also:gorge where the drop is considerable enough to make the falls of Orrin. From its source in the mountains in Strathvaich the See also:Blackwater flows S.E. for 19 m. till it joins the Conon, forming soon after it leaves Loch Garve the small but picturesque falls of Rogie. Within a See also:short distance of its exit from Loch Luichart the Conon pours over a See also:series of graceful cascades and rapids and then pursues a winding course of 12 m., mainly E. to the See also:head of Cromarty Firth. The falls of Glomach, in the See also:south-west, are the deepest in the See also:United See also:Kingdom. The stream giving rise to them drains a series of small lochs on the northern flanks of Ben Attow and, in an almost unbroken See also:sheet about 40 ft. broad, effects a sheer leap of 370 ft., and soon afterwards ends its course in the Elchaig. The falls are usually visited from Invershiel, 7 M. to the south-west. Twelve See also:miles south by east of Ullapool, on the See also:estate of Brae-more, are the falls of Measach, formed by the Droma, a head-stream of the Broom.

The cascades, three in number, are See also:

close to the gorge of Corriehalloch. The Oykell, throughout its course, forms the boundary with Sutherlandshire, to which it properly belongs. The largest and most beautiful of the many See also:freshwater lakes is Loch Maree (q.v.), but a few of the others are interesting. In the far north-west, 243 ft. above the sea, lies Loch Skinaskink, a See also:lake of such irregularity of outline that it has a shore-line of 17 m. It contains several islands covered with See also:rich See also:woods affording a shelter to See also:deer, and drains into Enard Bay by the Polly. Lochan Fada (the " See also:long loch "), 1005 ft. above the sea, is 34 m. in length, has a greatest breadth of a m., covers an area of 1i sq. m., and is 248 ft. deep, with a mean See also:depth of 102 ft. Once drained by the Muic, it has been tapped a little farther west by the Fhasaigh, which has lowered the level of the lake sufficiently to behead the Muic. Other lakes are, north of Loch Maree, Loch Fionn (the " See also:white " or " clear " lake), 8 m. long by 1 m. wide, famous for its heronries; towards the centre of the shire, Loch Luichart (5 M. long by from s m. to nearly 1 m. wide), fringed with birches and having the shape of acrescent; the See also:mountain-girt Loch Fannich (7 M. long by 1 m. wide); and the See also:wild narrow lochs Monar (4 m. long) and Mullardoch (5 m. long), on the Inverness-shire boundary. Of the straths or valleys the more important run from the centre eastwards, such as Strathconon (12 m.), Strathbran (to m.), Strathgarve (8 m.), See also:Strathpeffer (6 m.) and Strathcarron (14 m.). Excepting Glen Orrin (13 m.), in the east central See also:district, the longer glens See also:lie in the south and towards the west. In the extreme south Glen See also:Shiel (9 m.) runs between See also:fine mountains to its mouth on Loch Duich. See also:General See also:Wade's road passes down the glen.

Farther north are Glen Elchaig (9 m.), Glen Carron (12 m.), in the latter of which the track of the See also:

Dingwall & See also:Skye railway is laid, and Glen Torridon (6 m.). See also:Geology.—The central portion of this county is occupied by the younger highland See also:schists or See also:Dalradian series. These consist of quartzites, See also:mica-schists, garnetiferous mica-schists and gneisses, all with a See also:gentle inclination towards the S.E. On the eastern See also:side of the county the Dalradian schists are covered unconformably by the Old Red See also:Sandstone; the boundary runs southward from Edderton on Dornoch Firth, by Strathpeffer, to the neighbourhood of Beauly. These rocks comprise red flags and sandstones, See also:grey bituminous flags and shales. An anticlinal See also:fold with a S.W.-N.E. See also:axis brings up the basal beds of the series about the mouth of Cromarty Firth and exposes once more the schists in the Sutors guarding the entrance to the firth. The western boundary of the younger schist is formed by the See also:great pre-See also:Cambrian dislocation line which traverses the county in a fairly See also:direct course from Elphin on the north by Ullapool to Glencarron. Most of the area west of the line of disturbance is covered by See also:Torridonian Sandstone, mainly dark reddish sandstones, grits and shales, resting unconformably on the See also:ancient Lewisian See also:gneiss with See also:horizontal or slightly inclined bedding. The unconformity is well exposed on the shores of Gairloch, Loch Maree and Loch Torridon. These rocks, which attain a considerable thickness and are divisible into three sub-See also:groups, build up the mountain districts about Applecross, Coigach and elsewhere. Within the Torridonian See also:tract the older, Lewisian gneiss occupies large areas north of Coigach, on the east of Enard Bay, between Gruinard Bay and Loch Maree; between the last named and Gairloch, on both sides of See also:middle Loch Torridon and at many other spots smaller patches are to be found. The Lewisian ,gneiss is every-where penetrated by basic dikes, generally with a N.W.-S.E. direction; some of these are of great breadth.

The Torridonian rocks are succeeded unconformably by a series of Cambrian strata which is confined to a variable but, on the whole, narrow See also:

belt lying west of the line of main thrusting. This belt of Cambrian rocks has itself suffered an enormous amount of subordinate thrusting. It is composed of the following subdivisions in ascending See also:order: false-bedded See also:quartzite, " See also:Pipe See also:Rock" quartzite, fucoid beds and Olenellus See also:band, serpulite grit, Durness See also:dolomite and See also:marble, Durness dolomite and See also:limestone: but these are not always visible at any one spot. So great has been the disturbance in the region of thrusting that in some places, as in the neighbourhood of Loch Kishorn and else-where, the rocks have been completely overturned and the ancient gneiss has been piled upon the Torridonian. On the shore of Moray Firth at Rathie a small patch of Kimeridge shale occurs; and beneath the cliffs of Shandwick there is a little See also:Lower Oolite with a thin seam of See also:coal. Glacial striae are found upon the mountains up to heights of 3000 ft., and much See also:boulder See also:clay is found in the valleys and spread over large areas in the eastern districts. Raised beaches occur at too, 50 and 25 ft. above the See also:present sea-level; they are well seen in Loch Carron. Lewis, on Long Island, is made almost entirely of ancient " Lewisian gneiss." but a little Torridonian occurs about See also:Stornoway. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—Oa the west coast the rainfall is excessive, averaging for the See also:year 50.42 in. at Loch Broom and62 in. at Strome See also:Ferry (autumn and See also:winter being the wettest seasons), but on the east coast the See also:annual is only mean 27 in. The temperature for the year is 46.5° F., for See also:January 38° F. and for See also:July 57° F. The most fertile tracts he on the eastern coast, especially in Easter Ross and the Black Isle, where the See also:soil varies from a See also:light sandy See also:gravel to a rich deep See also:loam. Among See also:grain crops oats is that most generally cultivated, but See also:barley and See also:wheat are also raised.

Turnips and potatoes are the chief See also:

green crops. On the higher grounds there is a large extent of See also:good pasturage which carries heavy flocks of See also:sheep, blackfaced being the principal breed. Most of the horses, principally See also:half-breds between the old garrons (See also:hardy, serviceable, small animals) and Clydesdales, are maintained for the purposes of agriculture. The herds of See also:cattle, mainly native Highland or crosses, are large, many of them supplying the See also:London See also:market. Pigs are reared, though in smaller See also:numbers than formerly, most generally by the crofters. Owing partly to the overcrowding of the island of Lewis and partly to the unkindly nature of the bulk of the See also:surface—which offers no opportunity for other than patchwork tillage—the number of small holdings is enormous, Sutherlandshire alone amongst Scottish counties showing an even lrger proportion of holdings under 5 acres; while the See also:average See also:size of all the holdings throughout the shire does not exceed 20 acres. About 800,00o acres are devoted to deer forests, a greater area than in any other county in Scotland, among the largest being Achnashellach (50,000 acres), Fannich (20,000), Kinlochluichart (20,600), Braemore (40,000), Inchbae (21,000) and Dundonnell (23,000). At one See also:time the area under See also:wood must have been remarkable, if we accept the See also:common derivation of the word "Ross" as from the Irish See also:ros, "a wood," and there is still a considerable extent of native woodland, principally See also:fir, See also:oak, ash and See also:alder. The See also:fauna is noteworthy. Red and See also:roe deer abound, and foxes and alpine See also:hares are common, while badgers and wild See also:cats are occasionally trapped. Winged See also:game are plentiful, and amongst birds of See also:prey the See also:golden See also:eagle and See also:osprey occur. Waterfowl of all kinds frequent the sea lochs; many See also:rivers and lakes are rich in See also:salmon and See also:trout, and the See also:pearl See also:mussel is found in the See also:bed of the Conon.

Other See also:

Industries.—Apart from agriculture, the See also:fisheries are the only considerable See also:industry, the county containing two See also:fishery districts—Stornoway and Cromarty—and portions of two others—Loch Broom (the See also:remainder belonging to Sutherlandshire) and Loch Carron (which includes part of Inverness-shire) See also:Herring, See also:cod and See also:ling See also:form the principal catch, while salmon are taken in large quantities in the bays and at the mouth of rivers. Distilleries are found near Dingwall, See also:Tain and some other places, and there are manufactures, on a very limited See also:scale, of woollens, chemical See also:manures and aerated See also:waters, besides some sandstone See also:quarrying and See also:flour See also:mills. At See also:Muir of Ord, in the parish of Urray, are held great See also:horse, cattle and sheep markets. The Highland railway entering the county to the north of Beauly runs northwards to Dingwall, and then strikes off to the north-east by Invergordon and Tain, where it bends to the west by north, leaving the shire at Culrain, having largely followed the coast throughout. At Muir of Ord it sends off the Black Isle See also:branch and at Dingwall a branch to Strathpeffer, as well as a line to Strome Ferry and Kyle of Lochalsh on the south-western shore. Coaches connect various districts with stations on the Dingwall & Skye railway. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The population of the county in 1891 was 78,727, and in 1901 that of the mainland was 47,501, and of the islands 28,949, an aggregate of 76,450 or 25 to the sq. m. Thus Ross and Cromarty, though the third largest in size, is the least populated county in Scotland, excepting Sutherland, Inverness and See also:Argyll. In 1901 there were 12,171 persons who spoke Gaelic only (of whom 9928 belonged to the islands) and 39,392 speaking Gaelic and See also:English (of whom 15,990 were insular). The chief towns and villages are Stornoway (pop. 2854), Dingwall (2485), See also:Fortrose (1322), Tain (2067), Cromarty (1242), Invergordon (ro85). Ullapool is a small fishing See also:port near the mouth of Loch Broom.

For administrative purposes the county is divided into six districts, namely, Black Isle (pop. 6271), Easter Ross (12,192), Lewis (28,760), See also:

Mid Ross (12,953), South-Western Ross (4103) and Western Ross (5394). The county returns one member to See also:parliament, and Cromarty, Dingwall and Tain belong to the See also:Wick group of See also:parliamentary burghs, and Fortrose to the Inverness group. Excepting Cromarty, these are royal burghs, and Dingwall is the county See also:town. Ross and Cromarty forms a sheriffdom with Sutherlandshire, and there are See also:resident sheriffs-substitute at Dingwall and Stornoway, the former also sitting at Tain and Cromarty. The shire is under school-See also:board See also:control, and there are See also:academies at Tain, Dingwall and Fortrose, while several See also:schools See also:earn grants for higher See also:education. The county See also:council gives the " See also:residue " See also:grant to the See also:committee on secondary education, which subsidizes See also:science and See also:art classes in various schools and higher grade science schools at Dingwall, Tain and Stornoway. See also:History.—It may be doubted whether the See also:Romans ever effected even a temporary See also:settlement in the area of the See also:modern county. At that See also:period, and for long afterwards, the land was occupied by Gaelic Picts, who, in the 6th and 7th centuries, were converted to See also:Christianity by followers of St See also:Columba. Throughout the next three centuries the natives were continually harassed by Norse pirates, of whose presence tokens have survived in several See also:place-names (Dingwall, Tain, &c.). At this time the See also:country formed part of the great See also:province of Moray, which then extended as far north as Dornoch Firth and the Oykell, and practically comprised the whole of Ross and Cromarty, excepting a comparatively narrow See also:strip on the Atlantic seaboard. When the See also:rule of the See also:Celtic maormors or earls ceased in the 12th See also:century, consequent on the See also:plantation of the district with settlers from other parts (including a See also:body of Flemings), by order of See also:David I., who was anxious to break the See also:power of the Celts, the See also:bounds of See also:Moravia were contracted and the earldom of Ross arose.

At first Ross proper only included the territory adjoining Moray and Dornoch Firths. The first See also:

earl was See also:Malcolm MacHeth, who received the See also:title from Malcolm IV. After his See also:rebellion in 1179 chronic insurrection ensued, which was quelled by See also:Alexander II., who bestowed the earldom on See also:Farquhar Macintaggart (Farquhar, son of the See also:priest), then See also:abbot of Applecross, and in that capacity See also:lord of the western district. See also:William, 4th earl, was present with his See also:clan at the See also:battle of See also:Bannockburn (1314), and almost a century later (1412) the See also:castle of Dingwall, the chief seat on the mainland of Donald, lord of the Isles, was captured after the disastrous fight at Harlaw in See also:Aberdeenshire, which Donald had provoked when his claim to the earldom was rejected. The earldom reverted to the See also:crown in 1424, but See also:James I. soon afterwards restored it to the heiress of the line, the See also:mother of Alexander See also:MacDonald, 3rd lord of the Isles, who thus became 11th earl. In consequence, however, of the See also:treason of See also:John Macdonald, 4th and last lord of the Isles and 12th earl of Ross, the earldom was again vested in the crown (1476). Five years later James III. bestowed it on his second son, James See also:Stewart, whom he also created See also:duke of Ross in 1488. By the 16th century the whole area of the county was occupied by different clans. The Rosses held what is now Easter Ross; the Munroes the small tract around Ben Wyvis, including Dingwall; the Macleods Lewis, and, in the mainland, the district between Loch Maree and Loch Torridon; the MacDonalds of Glengarry, Coygach, and the district between Strome Ferry and Kyle of Lochalsh, and the Mackenzies the remainder. The county of Ross was constituted in 1661, and Cromarty in 1685 and 1698, both being consolidated into the present county in 1889 (see CROMARTY, county). Apart from occasional conflicts between See also:rival clans, the only battles in the shire were those of Invercarron, at the head of Dornoch Firth, when See also:Montrose was crushed by See also:Colonel See also:Strachan on the 27th of See also:April 165o, and Glenshiel, when the See also:Jacobites, under the earl of Seaforth, aided by Spaniards, were defeated, at the pass of Strachel, near See also:Bridge of Shiel, by General Wightman on the rlth of See also:June 1719. Antiquities.—The principal ' See also:relics of antiquity—mainly See also:stone circles, See also:cairns and forts—are found in the eastern district.

A vitrified fort crowns the See also:

hill of Knockfarrel in the parish of Fodderty, and there is a circular dun near the See also:village of Lochcarron. Some fine examples of sculptured stones occur, especially those which, according to tradition, See also:mark the See also:burial-place of the three sons of a Danish See also:king who were shipwrecked off the coast of Nigg. The largest and handsomest of these three crosses—the clach-a-charridh, or Stone of Lamentation—stands at Shandwick. It is about 9 ft. high and contains representations of the martyrdom of St See also:Andrew and figures of an See also:elephant and See also:dog. It See also:fell during a See also:storm in 1847 and was broken in three pieces. On the See also:top of the See also:cross in Nigg See also:churchyard are two figures with outstretched arms in the See also:act of supplication; the See also:dove descends between them, and below are two See also:dogs. The cross was knocked down by the fall of the See also:belfry in 1725, but has been riveted together. The third stone formerly stood at Cadboll of Hilltown, but was removed for See also:security to the grounds of Invergordon Castle. Among old castles are those of Lochslin, in-the parish of Fearn, said to date from the 13th century, which, though ruinous, possesses two square towers in good preservation; Balone, in the parish of Tarbat, once a stronghold of the earls of Ross; the remains of Dingwell Castle, their See also:original seat; and Eilean Donain in Loch Alsh, which was blown up by English warships during the abortive Jacobite rising in 1719. See R. See also:Bain, History of the Ancient Province of Ross (Dingwall, 1899) ; J. H.

See also:

Dixon, Gairloch (See also:Edinburgh, 1888) ; F. N. See also:Reid, The Earls of Ross (Edinburgh, 1894) ; W. C. See also:Mackenzie, History of the See also:Outer See also:Hebrides (See also:Paisley, 1904).

End of Article: ROSS AND CROMARTY

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